Automobile-headlight.



ne.. Mixen; AuToMomLE Hummm. kAPPLICATION FILED OCT. 30.191?. 4 a

1,278,974. l PatentedSept. 17, 191& y

f' i 2 SHEETSSIEET 2.

T-.E'Mgvmg FREDRICH EMIL MEYER, F HIXTON, WISCONSIN.

AUTOMOBILE-HEADLIGHT.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, FREDBICH Erm, MEYER, a citizen of the United States, resid- 5ingat Hixton, in; 'the county of Jackson, State of Wisconsimhave invented a new and usef ul Automobile-Headlight; and I4 do hereby declare the'followin to be a full, clear, and exact description o the invention, such as will enable others skilled in they artto which it rppe'rtains to makeand use the saine.

j he-present invention relates to tilting headlights for motor vehicles, a d has for its object to provide a device `of t is charac-l ter which embodies novel features of construction whereby thev headlights can be ,easily and. quickly tilted downwardly when it becomes necessary to pass another vehicle, thereby causing the light to bethrown down upon the 'road insuch a manner that the ,driver can see to operate the machine, although thedriver of theV ap reaching nialchine will not be blinledbyt e glare of the headlights.

i Furtheri'objects of the invention are tofy provide a tilting headlight construction which can be 'manufactured at coinparal tively small cost and applied t'o an standard make of automobile, which can` ie quickly manipulated totilt the headlights without the necessity of removing the hands from the steering wheel, which enables the headlights to be usedwith maximum efficiency when there are no' other vehicles upon the road, and which is not liable to break or get out of repair. v

i With these and other objectsin view, the

- invention consists in certain novel combinans and arrangements of the ,parts as will more' fullylappear as the description proeed's, theniivel features thereof being PQnt ed` out' in thel appended claims.

@For a full* understanding of the invention', reference is to `behadto the follow-I ing description andgiccompanying drawings,

inlwliich':'+

`1i"-i'gure -1 isla fragmentary top plan view of an'. alitoiiiobil'e having zi-'tiltiiig headlight constructed yinfaccordance with the inven` tion applied' thereto. Q

" Figris upfront elevation of theliody of theautoniobile, portions of the headlight inechanisnibeing brokenaway and shown iiisection;'

erti'cul :longitudinal ysectional fr ,foutportion of the autoea lightmieehanisnr Specification of Letters Patent.

Vivardly upon the roadso that an a Patented Sept. 17, 1918.

Application Ied October 30, 191'?. Serial N o. 1993244.

I i Fig. f4 is a fragmentary view.l of the for- Ward endv of an automobile ,having tilting headlights mounted thereon, said View illustrating a modification of the invention, and portions being broken section to illustrate more clearly the details of construction.V

Fig. 5 is a topA plan View of the' toi-ward end of an automobile having the modified away and shown in i construction of `tilting headlights mounted thereon, portions being broken :if-.rnv and shown in section. i

Corresponding and like parts are referred to inthe following description and indicated referencecharacters. i i

Referring to the drawings` which illus numerals ivhich are sides of the frontot' :the vehicle.

1 designate a pair of standards The lower lendsot' the standards are provided with clamps 2 which are suitably constructed for engagement with the forwardly projecting ends the side bars of the main frame of tlie.ve}iicle. while the upper ends of the standards are provided with `horizontally disposed sleeves 4,. :Bearing plates 5V are fit ted in opposite ends of the 'sleeves and a' sha-ft which extends across-thchorizontal front ot' the radiator 7 journaled Within these bearing plates. The headlights-8 are rigidly secured to opposite ends ofthe hori Zonta] shaft (i, and, with this construction it will lie obvious that by rocking the shaft thelicadlights can l o tilted and ypositioned to direct the light straight ahead or idown preaching motorist will n ot he blinded by t ieglare.

Coil springs 9 are arranged within the `sleeves 4; one end 'of cach of the springs be- `in all the views of the drawings by the saine ltrate one embodiment of the invention` the rigidly mounted upon opposite ing connected to the .horizontalshaft, While the opposite' end thereof is connected to one oli the ucarmg'gphites 5, said springs being under tension when the the .shaft und tilttlie headlights to direct the liglit down iviirdly upon the road :is soon -as the' rock shaft is released, ik crank arm 10 which projects from tim horizontal rock shaft is connected to :iii operating rod 11 which entends rcarwai'dly tl'ii'ough the radiheadlights are 'verg tica'lly disposed. and being arranged to rock ator and engi ne hood and passes through :in A

opening 12 in the dashboaril 1B. A suitable.

tingcr-piece 14 at the rear eud of the opel-ab ing `rod provides a convenient means for` pulling upon the same to return the headights to a vertical position after they have been tilted. When the headlights are vertically disposed a notch in the operating `\|'5 iod 11 is engaged by a spring hitch 1G which serves to lock the headlights in operative poi lsition against the action of the coil springs A vertically disposed slide 17 has a pin and slot connection 18 with the spring latch 10.'1G, the lower end of the slide having an operative connection with a foot. plimger 1.9 -fwvliich extends through the floor of the ve .il iicle and is positioned in such a manner that y lfit can be conveniently operated bythe driver, 1d therehy enabling the spring latch 16 to be 'quickly disengaged from the operating rod '11 without the necessity of removing the lands from the steering wheel. In they presl instance. both the slide 1T and foot pluntl `#er 19 are shown as connected at their lower ds to a lever which is pivotallv mounted tixlion a suitable support at 2l. nder norii'ial conditions the. operating rod is pulled rearwardly until theV spring latch 16 engages the notch 15 thereof, thereby locking the lieadlivhts 8 iii a vertical position so that the li'grlit therefrom willA be directed straight ahead. However. when it becomes necessary to pass an approaching vehicle` the foot plunger 19 is depressed. thereby pulling'- downwardly upon theA slide 1T and disengaging the latch 16 from the notch 15. The coil springs 9 will then rotate, the rock shaft (i and tilt the headlights 8 forwardly so that the light will be directed downwardly upon the road at an angle, thereby preventing the drivel' of the approaching vehicle from being blinded by the glare of the lights. After the vehicle has been passed, the motorist has merely to grasp the finger piece H and pull rearwardly upon the operating rod 11 to return the headlights to their vertical position. The maximum efficiency can thus beobtai'ned from the headlights where there are no other vehicles upon the road, although they are mounted in such a manner that they can be easily and quickly released and tilted downwardly when it becomes necessary to pass an approaching vehicle, thereby enabling the headlights to be used with absolute safety.

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate a modified form of the invention. The headlights 8 are, exactly as in the previous instance, rigidly secured to the extremities of a transverse rock shaft 6 which passes through sleeves 4 at the upper ends of standards 1,.being journaled within bcaringplates 5 fitted in the ends of the sleeves 4. Coil springs 9 are arranged within the sleeves 4 and surround the rock shaft (i, one end of'each of the coil springs engaging the rock shaft, while the other end thereof engages the sleeve, said springs normally tending to rotate the. roclcsliaft' to bring the headlights 8 into a vertical position. The crank arm 10 of the rock shaft is connected by a downwardly extending substantially vertical link member 24 to a rearwardly extending substantially horizontal lever 25 which is arranged under the engine hood and is pivotall connected at an.o intermediate point in its le convenient portion of the chassis or frame, as -indicated at 26, 'Ilie rear end .of the operating lever 25 is pvotally connected at 27 to a foot. plunger 28 which extends upwardly through the fioor 29 of the vehicle, passing loosely through a guide sleeve 30., A spring 3l is arranged within one side of the guide sleeve 30 and slidably engages theplunger 28, normally tending to move the same Iaterally to hold a beveled tooth 32 projecting therefrom in engagement with one of the notches of a rack 33 in the uide sleeve 30. This rack 33 is inclined ownwardly s0 that when the foot plunger 28 is forcibly depressed the beveled tooth 32 Will ride over the rack and engage one ot' the notches at the lower end thereof. By pressing the foot plunger downwardly, it will be obvious that the operating lever 25 will be swung about a pivot 26 and the rock shaft vo rotated against the action of the springs 9 to tilt thelheadlivlits 8, the position of the parts when the Foot plunger is depressed and the headlights tilted, being indicated by dotted lines on Fig. 4. The en agement 0f the teeth 30 with one of tlieower notches of the rack 33 will lock the parts in this position and hold the headlights tilted until the approaching vehicle has been safely passed. The motorist can then press forwardly upon the foot plunger 28 to disengage the tooth 32 from the rack 33, at the same time permitting the plunger to rise under the action of the coil springs 9", thereby again bringing the headlights into a vertical position so that the light therefrom will be projected straight. ahead. This construction enables the headlights to be quickly tilted or bron ht into a vertical position, as may be desire Having thus described the invention, what ngt-h t0 some I claim as new and desire to secure by Let- Y ters Patent, is.:-

1. A tilting headlight construction includin a. horizontal rock shaft, headlights apf plied to the ends of the rock shaft., sleeves receiving the rock shaft and having an inte-7 rior diameter greater than the diameter 'of the rock shaft, ren'iovable bearing plates fitted in the ends of the sleeves and sup porting the rock shaft, coil springs surrounding the rock shaft and housed within the sleeves between the removable bearing plates, said springs engaging the rock shaft and normally tending to tilt the headlights iso operatively connected to the headlights in `lights in one direction,

l the roc shaft, headlights secured to the ends of the rock shaft, a to rock the shaft to one direction,

spring normally tending an operating rod operatively connected to the rock shaft for moving the same against the action of the spring to swing the headlights in the other direction, a finger pice lat .the end vof the rod, latch means arranged for engagement with the rod to lock the headlights in )osition with the spring nnder tension, and a foot plunger latch means for dlsengaging the same from the rod to release the headlights.-

3. A tilting headlightconstruction, including a horizontal rock shaft, hearings for the rock shaft, headlights secured to the ends of `the rock shaft, spring normally tending to rock the shaft to swing the heada rod operatively connected to the rock shaft for rotating the same to swing the headlights in the opposite direction against latch means engaging the rod to lock the position with `the spring under tension, a slide operativelyr connected to the latch means, and a foot plunger operaswing the headlights inA the action of the spring, e

-tively connected to the the latch means.

4. A tilting headlight construction,` including a pair of standards, means at the standards for iengagin slide for releasing lower ends of the the main frame of a vehicle, horizonte sleeves at` the upperends of a horizontal rock shaft extending through the sleeves, springs housed within the sleeves p and engaging the rock shaft, saidsprings normall tending to rock the shaft. to swing the heac lights in one direction, `tively connected to the rock shaft for rotating the same against the act-ion of the. springs to swing the headlights in the other direction, latch, means arranged for engagement with the rod to lock the position with the springs under tension, and a foot plunger operatively connected to the latch means for disengaglng the same `from the rod and releasing the headlights.

`In testimony whereof .I have" signed my 5 name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. n

FREDRICH EMIL MEYER. lVitnesses: i

0; F. BARNES, f Gno. CHArIfLn.

the standards, 36

a rod opera- 40 headlights in 

